Hepatitis B in the non-residential mentally handicapped population.
Hepatitis B hides in one out of nine non-residential adults with ID and creeps into their homes—check status and vaccinate.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team drew blood from adults with intellectual disability who lived at home.
They tested the blood for hepatitis B markers.
They also tested family members who lived in the same house.
What they found
One in nine adults carried hepatitis B.
One in three family members of a carrier also had markers.
The virus is common and spreads inside households.
How this fits with other research
Lin et al. (2010) and Yen et al. (2011) show the follow-up problem: only three out of four Taiwanese students with ID finish the hepatitis B shot series.
Ingham et al. (1992) give the good news: toddlers with Down syndrome make near-perfect antibodies after the vaccine.
Together the papers draw a clear line—high natural exposure, low vaccine uptake, but shots work when given.
Why it matters
You can’t see hepatitis B by watching behavior.
Add hepatitis B status to intake questions.
Ask about vaccine records at every care visit.
If the record is blank, refer for the shot series.
You will stop both liver disease and household spread.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study describes seroprevalence and risk factors for hepatitis B in seven centres caring for non-residential mentally handicapped individuals. Overall, 11% were hepatitis B marker seropositive and 4% had the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Male sex and increasing age were associated with seropositive status, and Down's syndrome was associated with the presence of HBsAg. Immediate family members of those with hepatitis B markers were screened and 22% had evidence of hepatitis B markers. Forty-one family members were identified when the mentally handicapped individual was HBsAg positive and of these 13 (32%) were seropositive. This study demonstrates that hepatitis B is a problem for the non-residential mentally handicapped population and confirms the risk of infection to their immediate families.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1993 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.1993.tb00325.x